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Condo project slated for McLeod Road

Niagara Falls city council has agreed to rezone land along McLeod Road, between Ailanthus Avenue and Stanley Avenue, to allow for an eight-storey, 70-unit residential condominium development.
(Bob Tymczyszyn/St. Catharines Standard)

City council has agreed to rezone land along McLeod Road to allow for an eight-storey, 70-unit residential condominium development.

Alex Herlovitch, the city’s director of planning, building and development, said during a public meeting this week the proposal is for an L-shaped building with 88 parking spaces.

He said 30 per cent of the lot is proposed to be designated as a landscape open-space area for residents of the building.

The site, located between Ailanthis Avenue and Stanley Avenue, is 1.2 acres in size, or about half a hectare.

Since 1979, the property has been zoned for tourist commercial uses, so it already permits an eight-storey hotel with a height of 22 metres.

The condo proposal calls for a 28-metre tall building.

In 2001, council approved a site plan for an eight-storey (22-metre tall), 255-room hotel.

However, the necessary agreement was never finalized by the previous property owner and the project didn’t proceed.

Herlovitch said a recent neighbourhood open house was held and attended by seven nearby residents.

He said residents expressed concerns the development could be for low-income tenants and property values could be impacted.

They also expressed a concern about the building overshadowing their homes, and noted they would prefer a hotel.

Herlovitch said the applicant’s architect noted the project is intended to be developed as a condominium targetting higher-income earners.

The architect also noted the proposed building wouldn’t overshadow nearby dwellings due to the separation distance provided by the hydro corridor.

Herlovitch said the proposal complies with provincial policies as it’s a form of intensification promoted by Queen’s Park.

It also conforms to the city’s Official Plan being located within the McLeod Road intensification corridor where buildings up to eight storeys in height and a density of 150 units per hectare are anticipated.

Michael Allen, of ACK Architects Inc., told council Tuesday evening the property is well suited for a multi-residential condominium development.

“Being located at the edge of the tourist sector, it is also surrounded by existing as well as proposed residential developments in that area,” he said.

“It is also well serviced by the existing commercial nodes along McLeod Road.”

Allen said the intent of the development is to intensify the residential use within the existing urban boundary and to utilize the existing urban infrastructure services and transportation network that currently exists in the area.

He said the proposed development will be designed to accommodate a variety of one bedroom and two bedroom units.

All of the condominium suites will range from 650 square feet up to 1,200 square feet.